Govt ignores Pak objection, clears hydro project in J&K

Ignoring Pakistan’s objections, the Union Cabinet has cleared a 850 MW run-of-the-river hydroelectric power project on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. J&K’s lieutenant governor, Manoj Sinha, termed it a “historical decision” which, he said, “only a government headed by a Prime Minister of Narendra Modi calibre could take”.

The then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, had laid the foundation stone for the project which includes a 133 metre tall gravity dam and two power stations adjacent to one another on June 25, 2013. But Pakistan raised objections on the design of the project claiming it violated the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWR) between the two countries.

The IWT divides up control between India and Pakistan of several rivers draining into the Indus river basin. Signed between the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani President Field Marshal Ayub Khan on September 19, 1960 at Karachi, it awarded the three eastern rivers namely Ravi, Sutlej and Beas exclusively to India and the three western rivers-Indus, Jhelum and Chenab-exclusively to Pakistan except for limited uses by India in upstream areas in J&K, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

As per the treaty, the construction of storage dams in upstream Jhelum, Chenab and Indus within J&K is not allowed. That is why the hydroelectric projects on these rivers have to be run-of-the-river schemes. Islamabad has accused New Delhi of often violating the treaty, the charge vehemently denied by the latter.

Mr Sinha said that after the laying of the foundation stone for the Ratle Hydroelectric Power project the successive governments failed to execute it as they were scared of Pakistan’s threat of going to the International Court of Arbitration.

THE THEN PRIME Minister, Manmohan Singh, had laid the foundation stone for the project which includes a 133 metre tall gravity dam and two power stations adjacent to one another on June 25, 2013.